Hack n tap help

[lobsterdmb]

I am installing RE hack n tap that i bought used from someone. I got the tailshaft cut and went to go drill. I tried to start with a smaller bit and work my way up, but after a half hour, i had only made a little dent. What kind of drill bit do u recommend to go get or are there any secrets to this?

John

[Bender]

Did you use a new bit?
They have to be pretty sharp to cut into steel nicely.

I used plain old HSS bits when I did mine.

[lesslimited]

What I usually do in situations where it's difficult to apply heavy pressure to the drill is to use a piece of 2x4 as a lever from the back of the drill to anything handy. Think of how easy a drill press works. Don't do like I did and start with too small of a bit, which broke into 3 pieces:mad: , 2 inside the hole. Try to put the pressure in line with the bit, keep the speed relatively low, and use a little oil. Good Luck.

[Kejtar]

Originally posted by lesslimited92
What I usually do in situations where it's difficult to apply heavy pressure to the drill is to use a piece of 2x4 as a lever from the back of the drill to anything handy.

Bad idea.... in principle it sounds good, but it's so easy to break the bit then as you're very likely to put pressure on it at an angle. A drill press guarantees a straight down pressure and this is guaranteeing an angled pressure!!!!

ANyways, did you cut the shaft?? You have to cut the shaft so that only 1" or so of splines is left. Here is a link to one set of instructions: http://www.dpgoffroad.com/rubiconsye.htm Dependiing on the year you have you either have to install the output seal or not...

I know I wanted to try how the drilling will go before cutting it off and I was rather discuraged as it didn't want to go, then I sliced off just enough to try and it went in.

I think I tried Cobalt and Titanium bits and now I can't remember for the life of me which were better.... a recommendation that was given to me and worked fine for me was
1. be patient 2. use a slow drill (1000RPM or slower) 3. dip heavily into the cutting oil 4. stop and pull the pit out quite often to get rid of the shavings that will clog up and stop the bit and get it to break

Good luck
Kejtar

[lesslimited]

Originally posted by Kejtar
Bad idea.... in principle it sounds good, but it's so easy to break the bit then as you're very likely to put pressure on it at an angle. A drill press guarantees a straight down pressure and this is guaranteeing an angled pressure!!!!
Sorry, I guess I should have made it clearer not to put a ton of pressure on it. Working under the truck and reaching up, it's difficult to put any pressure on the drill, and the typical L shaped drill has the handle positioned such that it makes it difficult to put straight pressure on it in the best of circumstances. Putting the pressure on the back of the drill, directly behind the chuck, with a lever, can give fairly straight pressure. I only broke the bit because I did'nt do as you suggested and clean the hole out often enough, and I started with a 3/32" bit, and it happened right at full depth. I believe RE suggested 1/16", but I think 5/32" or 3/16" would be safer. Thanks for reminding me to make myself clear, I will try to do better in the future.:)

[lobsterdmb]

I already cut the shaft, i need to drill tomorrow (well actually later this morning) so i will run out and try to get some new titanium drill bits. thanks for the help

John

[Yucca-Man]

I just did the Hack-n-Tap this morning; we used a small (1/8"?) Titanium bit to pilot the hole and then the supplied bit from RE to dig in 1.25" into the tailshaft. Before that when cutting it off I used a strip of 1" wide masking tape to mark a 1 1/8" section of spline to keep. Clean the hole and tap it, keeping the threads clean and cool...

The pilot hole doesn't have to be dead-center since the washers allow for a little space, but you do want to keep it as close as possible simply to avoid any wobble. Be prepared to whack the flange to get it on, and Loc-Tite the bolt when you tighten it.

[lesslimited]

Originally posted by Yucca-Man
Be prepared to whack the flange to get it on, and Loc-Tite the bolt when you tighten it.
This reminds me of the other problem I had with mine. The square cut end of the shaft made it difficult to get the flange started. I've heard others had the same problem. Try a small file to chamfer the ends of the splines if you have problems. Since your flange is used it may go on easier, though.

[lobsterdmb]

One more question, I can get the flange on, but my cut is not perfectly straight. How straight does the end of the tailshaft have to be?

John

[atowley]

I had the same problem with getting the flange on initially. I tapered the end of the shaft just a bit, and that helped.

[lesslimited]

As long as it's fairly close, I would think it'll be all right. The splines are most of what holds the position. As long as it isn't to the point where the bolt will be stressed from contacting one side. I did do some grinding on mine to get it straight.

[Yucca-Man]

The straighter the cut, the better. That said, I have a friend who has two or more years on her angled-cut tailshaft and no known problems.

Good catch on chamfering the edges after the cut; After trying to get the flange on over that cut with no luck I hit it real quick with a file and in no time had the flange in place. I used that as a guide to indicate 'center' to begin drilling, I believe REs instructions would have you try to remove the flange again after marking it. After whacking it on with a rubber BFH I don't think it's coming back off without a ton of trouble.

Jim